The Interior Ministry has instructed provinces to find civil defence volunteers to man railway crossings during scheduled train services in an attempt to curb accidents.

Chayapol Titisak, a deputy permanent secretary and the ministry’s spokesperson, said the accidents at railway crossings had resulted in losses of lives and damage to properties so the ministry held a meeting with the State Railway of Thailand to jointly work in preventing the accidents.

The ministry then ordered chiefs of districts within the train network to coordinate with local administration organisations. Civil defence volunteers can be assigned to work with SRT employees to ensure safety at the crossings in their respective areas.

The district chiefs should also improve public awareness about daily train services via local news radios or other channels so people would know and be more careful when passing the crossings.

Mr Chayapol said the ministry had also asked all provinces with the rail services to survey the conditions of all crossings. The information could be used to improve the tracks and reduce the risks.

As well, all agencies under the ministry have been assigned to improve the landscape at crossings such as cutting tree branches for more visibility.

The latest accident occurred in Phetchaburi's Cha-am district last Friday. Four people were killed when their pickup truck was hit by a Hua Hin-bound tourist train at an unofficial track crossing.

According to the Transport Ministry, the SRT set a 651-million-baht budget to improve safety at 200 railway crossings in fiscal 2016 and a 500-million-baht budget for another 160 locations in the next fiscal year. There are currently 2,624 railway crossings nationwide.

SRT governor Wuthichart Kalyanamitr said in April that automatic safety barriers will be installed at 584 crossings between this year and next.

However, he expressed concern about unsafe makeshift crossings constructed by local people.